1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to oil compositions useful typically as cleansing agents for removing oily cosmetics. More specifically, it relates to oil compositions which contain a glycerol monoalkyl ether and/or a diglycerol monoalkyl ether in combination with a polyglycerol monoalkyl ether, thereby have superior detergency, are usable under a wide range of conditions, can wash well, and can stably form fine foams.
2. Description of the Related Art
Cleansing agents for removing cosmetics (make-ups) are roughly classified as oil, gel, and foamable cleansing agents. Oil and gel cleansing agents generally require massaging by fingers so as to satisfactorily mix with cosmetics and to remove the cosmetics. The massaging applies a pressure to the skin, and this often damages the skin. In addition, these agents cause sticky feeling upon use and are not readily rinsable. In contrast, foamable cleansing agents are less irritating to the skin, excel in feel upon use, and have thereby been desirably used as cleansing agents.
Known foamable cleansing agents include those containing a foamable aerosol composition that includes an oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion including two phases, i.e., n aqueous phase and an inner oily phase. The inner oily phase contains a propellant dissolved therein, and the aqueous phase has poor compatibility or miscibility with the propellant. However, cleansing agents using a foamable aerosol composition of an oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion are not appropriate as detergents for oily cosmetics, because they contain an aqueous phase as a continuous phase and thereby have poor miscibility with, and poor detergency to, oily cosmetics. Known foamable cleansing agents having improved detergency to oily cosmetics include water-in-oil (W/O) compositions for constituting oily foamable aerosols, which contain a polyoxyethylene-added nonionic surfactant, an alkyl phosphate derivative, and a polyglycerol fatty acid ester, respectively (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (JP-A) No. 2004-75589; PCT International Publication Number WO 2003/035015; and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (JP-A) No. 2006-347896). These water-in-oil (W/O) compositions for oily foamable aerosols, however, often suffer from phase transition from a water-in-oil (W/O) phase to an oil-in-water (O/W) phase upon cleansing of cosmetics and are difficult to use when used under wet conditions (when the skin is wet). Additionally, they have still insufficient detergency.